


a friend’s perspective

by Catheeso



Series: Dream SMP [8]
Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: ? maybe, Beta Read, Clay | Dream-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Dream Team SMP Angst (Video Blogging RPF), Dreamon, Gen, GeorgeNotFound-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Manipulation, Morally Ambiguous Character, Oops, Post-Manberg-Pogtopia War on Dream Team SMP (Video Blogging RPF), Sapnap-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Supposed to be a oneshot, They’re best friends your honour, Time Skips, Villain Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Villain GeorgeNotFound, Villain Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Soot and Technoblade and TommyInnit are Siblings, beta read by my friend once more, god kill me, kind of?, questionable morals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-16 23:34:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29462067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Catheeso/pseuds/Catheeso
Summary: Dream, George, and Sapnap - the Dream Team. One can not say one is worse than the others. They’re all equally bad or equally good.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Dream & GeorgeNotFound, GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF)
Series: Dream SMP [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2089689
Comments: 17
Kudos: 160





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hello everybody. yes, you read the tags right, i have written villain!Dream. yes, he is actually a villain. and so is george and sapnap. kinda? depends on how you look at it. anyways, enjoy!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The decision.

Dream flinched when the bandage tightened around his hands. He had accidentally burned his hands in the Nether and now Sapnap was bandaging them up, knowing a lot about how to treat burns.

“Stop squirming,” Sapnap said, not unkindly, “it’ll only hurt worse.”

“It’s uncomfortable is what it is,” Dream shot back without any real heat, letting the younger finish wrapping his hands. Sapnap only clicked his tongue in response before getting up from where they were sitting on the couch and stretching.

George leaned over the back of the couch and tapped on the side of Dream’s head. “How does it feel up there?”

“Fine.”

It didn’t feel fine, everything was still a bit foggy and he still felt a tad bit slow, but still better than it was before. Still better than it used to be.

George raised an eyebrow from underneath his googles but didn’t say anything else, instead choosing to hop over the couch and grab the book sitting on the table. They were all relaxing in the Community House, something they did a lot nowadays.

The three of them weren’t blind to the glares shot their way. The entire server was blaming _them_ for the whole Pogtopia-Manberg disaster, even though L’Manberg was gone now and Schlatt was dead. The Badlands were for some reason spared from the wrath, but not the Dream Team. Never the Dream Team.

When Dream had been working with Pogtopia, he had felt the disgust radiating from Wilbur and Tommy at the prospect of even working with him. Wilbur, the one who asked Dream for help, had been vocal about not wanting to work with him. Only working with Dream out of necessity.

When George had been vice-vice president of Manberg, he had felt the anger the citizens directed at him. Which was weird, in his opinion, considering that they had elected him. It wasn’t his fault that they hated Schlatt. Even the cabinet was uneasy around him.

When Sapnap had remained neutral, his friends on both sides of the soon-to-be war, he had been condemned by everyone. They told him that he should pick a side. They told him that he couldn’t be neutral, he had to work with Dream or George. He was shamed when he couldn’t choose between his two closest friends. The only people not mad at him were his friends themselves.

It got worse when Dream was possessed by a dreamon. He stopped sleeping, stopped eating, stopped talking to George and Sapnap. They, naturally, got very concerned. They sought him out, after the dreamon hunters had ‘cured’ him, and put everything behind him.

If anybody noticed the Dream Team mysteriously dropping off the map for a week or two, they didn’t care enough to say anything.

The dreamon is still there, small but still strong enough to make him feel considerably weaker than he used to be. It made his mind foggy, made it uncomfortable to do much else than lay in bed and stare at the ceiling.

He pushed through it, though. They all agreed that siding with Schlatt was the best thing to do, especially with the whole ‘bring back the dead’ thing. They knew Schlatt would be dead by the end of the day anyway, if not by somebody then by his own drinking problems. The knowledge was worth it.

Wilbur blew up Pogtopia and Techno unleashed three withers upon the already panicking crowd. Dream had laughed harder than he had in a long time, George and Sapnap by his side.

“We’ll be by your side,” Sapnap had promised up on that hill, looking down at the destruction still happening. None of them could care less about what happened to the people of L’Manberg. “Always.”

“Always?” Dream had asked.

“Always,” George confirmed, reaching over and grabbing one of Dream’s hands. Sapnap did the same. The trio watched the carnage, holding hands. They had never felt more content since before the wars.

Dream knew he had done bad things, he wasn’t stupid. But Tommy had also done bad things. Wilbur had also done bad things. Everyone on the server had done bad things, yet he was the one blamed for it. Not George or Sapnap, just him.

It made sense, right? He was the most powerful person on the server, excluding Technoblade, and had the power to topple kingdoms and permanently kill anyone he desired. He was the puppetmaster, everybody else being the puppets.

But that wasn’t true. If he was the puppetmaster, so were George and Sapnap. So was Wilbur. Wilbur played life like one big chess game, making calculated moves. When he didn’t hold the power anymore, he broke. He cracked. He manipulated children to get his way.

George and Sapnap were as ‘bad’ as Dream. They helped with all the plans, even making some of the worse ones, were just as cruel as Dream was. In war, there was no hesitation, and they knew that. They embraced that. They fully knew what they were doing and what Dream was doing. They willingly chose to not only follow the strongest, but to be on par. If Dream was at the top of the platform, George and Sapnap were there with him, on equal ground. One could not call one worse than the others.

“He’s manipulating you,” Quackity told them one evening.

“We know,” they lied. Not because they didn’t know, no- they lied because they weren’t being manipulated. Dream didn’t hold that power over them even if he wanted to. He couldn’t. Not that he would want to manipulate them in the first place.

“Then why do you still follow him?” Quackity asked.

“We don’t have anyone else,” George replied, putting on the kicked-puppy act he was oh so good at. Sapnap hid a smug grin. The duck hybrid believed every bullshit claim they threw at him because they were the _victims_.

“It’s too easy, really,” George mused to Dream, still reading the book he had plucked off the table. It had been there a while and was probably someone else’s. “Quackity’s stupid.”

“You sure about this?” Dream frowned. “I don’t see how hurting Quackity would help us.”

“Oh, it wouldn’t,” George agreed. “But I think he deserves it.”

“ _Dream’s so manipulative_ ,” Sapnap said, high-pitched and mocking. “ _I feel so sorry for you two! Let me suck your di-_ ”

“Sapnap!” Dream and George both exclaimed, cutting him off. The group dissolved into laughter.

“You’re so gross!” Dream wheezed.

“I’m just telling the truth!” Sapnap giggled.

“We should stay out of it, though,” Dream continued, his voice adopting a more serious tone. “L’Manberg’s gone, there’s no reason we should be messing with Quackity or anyone else.”

Sapnap paused and tensed slightly. “You- you haven’t heard?”

“Heard what?”

“Dream,” George said slowly, “they’re rebuilding the country.”

Everything slammed to a halt.

“They’re rebuilding the country?” Dream echoed, voice dismayed. L’Manberg was basically a crater, why were they even trying? Plus, they would have no leader. Quackity wasn’t fit to lead and neither was Fundy. Who else could lead the skeleton of the old country?

“Tubbo’s president with Tommy as vice president.” Sapnap scowled. “They’re like little cockroaches. They just won’t die.”

“Tommy’s on his last life,” George pointed out.

“We’re not killing Tommy, George,” Dream protested.

“It’s just an option.”

“An option I’d prefer not to take.”

“We might not have the choice,” Sapnap reminded him. “If - _when_ \- they rebuild L’Manberg, they’re gonna antagonize us again. They’re gonna make us the villains again.”

“It’s gonna be another war,” Dream finished grimly.

“Exactly.”

A heavy silence fell upon the group. On one hand, killing Tommy would certainly make them more hated than they already were, unless they somehow made it seem like an accident. Dream didn’t know if he had it in his heart to kill the kid. He brought life into the server, even though he was equivalent to an annoying little fly.

On the other hand, Tommy was a pest. A stain on the server. Everything had gone downhill when he had joined, along with Wilbur. Tommy just didn’t know when to stop. It was frustrating. He would end up doing something that would tick somebody off and kick a whole new war.

They needed to get rid of Tommy either way.

“We should wait,” Dream finally decided. “If we pick him off now, we risk backlash. Tommy will inevitably do something that we can respond to.”

“Will we kill him?” George asked curiously.

“Depends on what he does.”

They were right. Of course they were.

Tommy sets George’s house on fire, the house George spent weeks making, after griefing it. George was absolutely livid when they discovered the remains of his home, muttering to himself about how he was going to kill Tommy himself.

Sapnap, despite being a pyromaniac and part Blaze, eyes the burnt house with pity. Dream takes it upon himself to comfort the angered king.

“We have to do something!” George snarled. “He destroyed my home! For no reason! We haven’t even done anything to them!”

“Calm yourself,” Dream soothed. “Remember what we discussed? This is the perfect ammo. We can finally get rid of Tommy, doesn’t that sound nice?”

“We should kill him.”

“That’s a little too far,” Sapnap interrupted. “At least, that’s what people will think.”

“How about exile?” Dream suggested. Sapnap and, eventually, George looked over at him, intrigued. “Think about it: we both get rid of him and not get any death backlash. The best of both worlds.”

Sapnap thought for a moment. “We could also use this to control Tommy.”

“We could get him to our side if we do this properly,” George piped up. “With Tommy on our side, Tubbo will be, too. If Tubbo’s on our side, then L’Manberg is.”

“We control the entire server with Tommy on our side,” Dream finished, nodding along.

The entire server would be under their control. No more wars for power, no more countries. It would be the Dream SMP once again. It would be _their_ SMP. Their home.

It hadn’t been their home since Tommy joined and started wars on the peaceful land. It hadn’t been their home since Wilbur joined and started a drug empire. It hadn’t been their home since L’Manberg became a country and the Dream SMP was forgotten about, families forgotten about. It hadn’t been their home in a long time.

But they had the chance to fix that. With Tommy.

And sure, it might be a little cruel to Tommy. And sure, it might make them out to be the bad guys. But Tommy deserved it after all he had done to them. But they were already considered the bad guys so might as well prove everyone right. The Dream Team would take back what was once theirs.

Tommy was a brat, as always, denying it was him. Dream had no intention of dragging Ranboo into the conflict or the exile, Ranboo being new to the server and still able to redeem himself in the future. Ranboo probably just didn’t know any better, yet. George was the one tasked with talking to Ranboo.

Watching Tommy and Tubbo fight was honestly amusing, Tommy threatening him with Spirit significantly less.

“I don’t give a fuck about Spirit, okay?” Dream spat. “I don’t give a fuck about anything, actually. I care about your discs and my friends. I care more about your discs than you do.”

As Tommy shouted back, the part about his friends was glossed over. But Dream knew that his friends were listening. He knew that they were intently listening to every word that came out of his mouth.

It was practically a whisper compared to the rest of his speech. A quiet comfort: _I still care about you_.

Later, when Quackity was screaming at him and Sapnap joined in, George suspiciously quiet on the sidelines, there was no fire in Sapnap’s words. Sapnap had heard the whisper, the quiet comfort. This was all part of the plan. George walked away without saying anything, all three knowing he would never be able to voice his hate towards one of them. Not if that hate wasn’t true.

Quackity was merely an in with the other side. Mexican L’Manberg was nothing to them and would never be anything, no matter how hard Quackity and Karl would try.

Quackity and Karl do try, they try so hard after Tommy is exiled and Tubbo is teetering the edge of a breakdown, staging an elaborate coup to get Eret out of power after Dream dethroned George. And, if not to get Eret out of power, at least put Mexican L’Manberg (now El Rapids) on the map.

Dream responded accordingly, fighting back with Eret and Puffy, listening to Quackity’s argument and making his own. He lied through his teeth at several parts, but the only people who would know that were on his side.

El Rapids is made a country after a long decision, just so Dream can focus on their main goal once again.

Tommy.

“El Rapids isn’t worth it,” Sapnap had sighed. “We can just give Quackity what he wants and move on. The ‘country’ is just distracting.”

George had agreed and Dream arrived the next day on Quackity’s doorstep to deliver the news. He conveniently left out the part where Sapnap and George had been the ones to convince him. According to everyone else, the Dream Team wasn’t on speaking terms.

But Tommy...Tommy was much more interesting.

Manipulating Tommy was a lot easier than any of them expected it to be. The kid was already isolated due to not only the location but Dream’s presence and people already disliking him after everything he’s done. Not to mention his relationship with everyone being strained. Tommy’s only friends were in L’Manberg and now they had nothing to do with him.

Sad, really.

The only time Dream had almost let Tommy slip through his fingers was when the beach party was going to happen. Ghostbur had already left to deliver the invitations, but Sapnap pulled through and destroyed the invitations. Tommy was alone at the beach party.

That didn’t matter, though. George quickly caught onto the fact that Tommy had no influence anymore. He was only listened to and followed when he had power, now that he had none, he was left alone. Which made it easier to manipulate him but harder to go through with their plan.

They eventually decided to get rid of him.

Dream frowned behind his mask as Logstedshire was blown up but outwardly voiced his disappointment towards Tommy. If all went well, he would be out of their hair soon enough. Dream knew that Tommy would no longer buy into Dream’s lies after this.

But the point wasn’t to further control Tommy, so Dream didn’t care much. As long as Tommy disappeared, all’s well that ends well.

It fell through when Tommy miserably shambled over to Techno’s house and the hybrid surprisingly brought him in. Then Techno _lied_ about it.

Techno had no reason to keep Tommy safe. Sure, they were brothers, but Techno had shown before that meant nothing to him. Techno gained nothing by allowing Tommy to stay safe and then lying to Dream about it.

It angered Dream and it angered Sapnap even more.

“Bullshit,” Sapnap scoffed. “That’s bullshit. There’s no way he’d actually take Tommy in.”

“I don’t know what else to say, Sap,” Dream responded, flopping down onto the grass. George, who was laying down next to him, adjusted his goggles so they were on the top of his head, squinting up at the night sky.

“We could use this to our advantage,” George said.

“How? How on earth could we use _Technoblade_ protecting Tommy to our advantage?” Sapnap snapped.

“Well,” George drawled, “what’s something Tommy cares about? Besides the discs and Tubbo.”

“L’Manberg,” Dream answered easily, before pausing. “George, you’re a genius.”

“What? What do you mean, what’s going on?” Sapnap asked.

“Tommy is fiercely loyal to L’Manberg, Gods know why. Techno does not like governments, and, by proxy, does not like L’Manberg. Even if Tommy is against L’Manberg right now, he will go back no matter what if it’s in any major danger,” George explained.

“Tommy will betray Techno,” Dream said.

“And Techno will be on our side.” Sapnap lit up, laying down. “Dream’s right, George, you _are_ a genius.”

“I know,” George smirked.

“We do need something to push Tommy to L’Manberg again, though,” Dream frowned, rubbing his eyes. It had been hard sleeping recently without George and Sapnap by his side. He could only take off his mask with them around.

“I heard Tommy say he wants to blow up the Community House the other day,” George muttered. “I don’t know if he’ll actually do it.”

“It’s in his head, I already don’t trust him,” Sapnap said. “We need to stop him before he does it.”

“Unless...”

Sapnap glanced over, “what are you thinking, Dream?”

“ _We_ could blow up the Community House. There’s always the chance of him doing it unless we do it first. I’d rather be the one to destroy it than someone else. Plus, nobody would suspect us.”

“They’d suspect you,” George replied, finally looking down from the stars. The brunette propped himself up on his elbows to look at Dream, worry clear in his eyes. “If it doesn’t go perfectly, they could think you did it. You’ll be chased out by everyone.”

“That’s a risk we’d have to take. Who would you rather blow it up?”

George and Sapnap said nothing.

“Exactly,” Dream stated. “Now, c’mon. We have a home to blow up.”

George and Sapnap dutifully followed, a little uncertain but trusting. They could see the nervousness in Dream’s movements. None of them wanted to blow up the Community House, but rather them than Tommy. The Community House was the oldest building in the land, it was their home. Everything in the entire SMP grew as an extension of the house.

But, if this was what it took to get their home back, they’d do it.

Together.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Community House is blown up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a lot more than i was expecting???? i cant believe i wrote this much it was honestly an accident. anyways doomsday is next.

“How much are you willing to sacrifice?” Dream asked as he held a piece of TNT in his hands, standing in the middle of the Community House, right next to the stairs. A thin layer of dust covered the entire house, being unused for months now.

The once-great house now reduced to what was basically a tourist attraction. The only people living in it being the original people on the server, like a fire they refused to let die out.

The three of them kept adding more and more fuel to the fire even as the flames dwindled, even after they knew it was a lost cause.

This land wasn’t their land anymore and it hadn’t been for a long time. It made the pain of this decision hurt a little less. This was all for a good cause. Well, maybe not a _good_ cause, but it was for their cause.

“For this?” Sapnap stood silent for a moment. “Anything, Dream, anything.”

“Anything for you. For us,” George agreed, hanging Dream the flint and steel to light the TNT.

“There’s no going back once this is done,” Dream said, even though they had already made up their minds. Maybe he was talking to a hidden fourth party, someone who could come in and stop them before it was too late. Before they made a mistake.

Was it a mistake? Was fighting for their home, their life a mistake? If left to their own devices, if left uncontrolled, the server would turn on the trio again as they had done before. All of them still had their three lives but that didn’t make the entire situation less- well, not scary, but troubling.

There was the chance, the very real chance, that Tommy or Quackity or Fundy could pick off their lives. There was a very real chance that the entire server could turn on them once again, leaving them stranded and fumbling. Even Bad and Punz had abandoned them.

What were they to do except fight back? If they surrendered, they would be killed. They would be slaughtered simply for existing. No, the Dream Team were determined to keep themselves alive. They were determined to have their home back, to back before L’Manberg and the Badlands and Pogtopia and El Rapids.

And if they were to go down, if they were to die, they would not die in disgrace. They would not go lying down. They would go fighting for what they believed in, fighting for each other. They would go as they started; together.

It was them against the world. It was them against the server. It was them against Tommy and L’Manberg.

With that in mind, Dream set down the first piece of TNT. Then the next piece. Then the next, then the next, then the next. George and Sapnap started to help as it piled up, as they scattered it around the house to make sure nothing survived.

Dream’s hand brushed an old photo. It was the three of them posing for the camera, Ponk being the one to take it. Old Dream’s arms were slung over George’s and Sapnap’s shoulders, pulling them close, eyes sparkling with mirth. George was rolling his eyes, looking annoyed but secretly smiling, and Sapnap was full-on grinning, happiness on full display. The Community House in the background was only half-finished, the second floor still visibly a work in progress.

It was one of the first photos taken from the Dream SMP, maybe even the very first. It was taken to symbolize their friendship, to put their joy in an everlasting picture frame.

“We should probably take that,” said George quietly, standing behind Dream and looking over his shoulder. “It’s a nice photo.”

“Do you want to take it, though?” Dream turned around and faced his best friend. George hummed, delicately taking it in his fingers, leaving Dream’s arm to hang uselessly in the air.

“I don’t think so,” George answered, tossing the photo into the initial pile of explosives. It fell off to the side with a soft clatter. Sapnap didn’t even look up from where he was crouching next to the door.

“Alright,” Dream replied. “Alright.”

George stared at the space where the photo used to occupy before walking away, humming again. Dream dropped his arm.

They ended up taking nothing from the Community House, leaving everything in there to blow up with the rest of the building. Sapnap claimed that he didn’t want anything, not from the house, and all of George’s stuff had been in his house when Tommy had griefed it. Dream hadn’t liked how empty the items inside had made him feel, so he left everything he could’ve possibly wanted.

Not that he had much to begin with. He never had much, even before the wars. He wasn’t much of a material person. George and Sapnap used to joke that it made it really hard to get any birthday presents for him.

“Why do I need gifts when I already have you guys?” Dream had chuckled, leaving the other two speechless. They all ignored how George had almost cried at that. They also ignored how Sapnap definitely did start sobbing.

The TNT was invisible from the outside. Sapnap was still inside, offering to be the one to light it. George stood next to Dream, hand hovering next to his, a silent show of comfort. The best they could do.

“We’ll have everything back,” George whispered, “even the discs. I didn’t even want the discs. What good could they do?”

“They hold power,” Dream responded flatly. “I’m not sure what kind of power anymore.”

“How loud is the explosion going to be? _I_ heard there was going to be a festival today and you’re invited.”

“They’re going to kill me, I think.”

“Well, that’s a shame.”

Sapnap hurried out one of the doors and down the wooden path. “What’s a shame?”

“L’Manberg wants to kill Dream. Again,” George said. He said it flippantly like he was talking about something mundane. It was mundane by now, the server seemed to try and kill Dream often. Not that it ever worked.

“That is a shame,” Sapnap nodded right as the Community House exploded in front of them. A wave of heat washed over them, debris flying everywhere as the building crumbled into the water, waves splashing at the edges of the lake.

The sound was surprisingly muffled like Dream had been hearing it from underwater. Fire crackled louder than the explosion, tearing into the remaining wood, blackening it further.

“Should’ve brought some s’mores,” Sapnap joked, “this is toasty.”

“Sap, you can make s’mores by yourself, you’re a blaze,” George said.

Sapnap gasped, “oh my god, I forgot about that.”

“The last time you tried to do that you set the house on fire,” Dream pointed out.

“That’s the past, I’ve had a brilliant idea,” Sapnap grinned, waving Dream off.

George opened his mouth to say something else but Dream’s communicator cut them off. It buzzed noisily and he took it out of his pocket.

“It’s Tubbo asking if I’m still going,” Dream told them, still staring at the screen. “He wants to know if I’m going to wear armour.”

“They want to kill you,” reminded George. “Go with. You’re going to be bringing them back here anyway.”

Dream frowned and slid his mask so it was covering the rest of his face, walking away from his friends. George was right, like usual. It made no sense to risk losing a life when he was just going to bring them to the ruined Community House. Not with the festival being designed to specifically kill him.

George and Sapnap would be waiting nearby for them to come marching up, ready to take Quackity’s side at a moment's notice to make it believable. Dream’s job was not only to convince Tubbo to give him the disc but to also get Quackity on his side. It shouldn’t be that hard, Quackity hated Dream but he also hated Tommy currently.

The Community House was important enough for Quackity to doubt Tommy. Dream wouldn’t have to fake the sadness and anger in his voice when talking about it, either.

He was sad and he was mad. He was both because the server forced his hand. He never thought that he would have to blow up the only place he considered home after the Dream SMP was no longer his.

It was Tommy’s fault. It was L’Manberg’s fault. And, more importantly, it was Wilbur’s fault.

But Wilbur was dead. He already served his punishment. Wilbur went insane and ruined everything for himself, the worst fate for him but the best fate for Dream. Wilbur made up for everything he did.

Of course, there was still a part of Dream that wanted Wilbur to pay more than he already did. Wilbur ruined everything. Wilbur ruined his home.

Wilbur deserved to die.

As Dream turned the corner, obsidian ready in his hand where TNT had been only twenty minutes earlier, L’Manberg stood tall and proud. It was decorated with festival streamers and stalls, games littering the grounds and docks. Ranboo and Fundy had been the ones to make the games, apparently.

When had festivals on the server ever gone well? He thought back to before L’Manberg, to before Wilbur and Tommy when he had thought about holding a festival to celebrate the server, to celebrate their home. Now, just the thought left a bitter taste in his mouth. It had been an idea that was stomped on and tossed aside by the very people he welcomed with open arms.

They want a villain? He’ll give them a villain.

He got through almost two layers of the obsidian before the L’Manberg cabinet noticed and started to shout at him. Ranboo was still there despite George’s efforts, but the book in Dream’s satchel told him that the enderman hybrid wasn’t as loyal to L’Manberg as everyone thought he was. Dream smiled as he was reminded of Eret. There’s always a traitor in L’Manberg; Eret, Wilbur, Techno, Ranboo.

Dream shouted at them before guiding them to the devastation that was the Community House. He blamed it on Tommy, just as planned, and Quackity quickly accepted it. More and more people stood on the sidelines, staring at the wreckage in dismay. George and Sapnap were among them, faces grim as they vocally insulted Tommy for destroying something so dear to everyone's heart.

What the Dream Team hadn’t expected was for Tommy to not only be there but to interrupt their plan. An annoying little pest as always. Tubbo started to doubt Dream and it took a lot of arguing for Dream to rein him back in.

Techno was there also, watching the interactions with a curious eye. The blood god was always too smart for his own good and Dream silently prayed that Techno didn’t interrupt as well. Their whole plan could crumble if Techno advocated for Tommy and against Dream. Luckily, Techno did no such thing and merely watched as Tommy and Tubbo argument turned into a full-on fight.

“The discs were worth more than you ever were!” Tommy screamed in a moment of blind fury. The entire crowd goes still, including Dream, who can’t help but glance over to George and Sapnap.

Their bodies were tense but their faces blank. Sapnap gave a quick thumbs up that made it a little easier to breathe and Dream turned back to Tubbo, who was now in front of him holding out the disc.

The discs were his. The wars were over. The Dream Team had control once more.

As soon as the disc was stored in Dream’s ender chest, Sapnap was the one who burst out laughing, soon followed by Dream and George.

“You’re all so _stupid_!” Sapnap cackled, quickly making his way to Dream’s side with George. “Gods, that was easier than I expected.”

“I thought it would take a lot more than one destroyed building,” George agreed, smile cruel and sharp. A lot more mean than the usual soft smiles he gave people.

“What?” Quackity murmured softly, confused, one hand lifted like he wanted to reach out and pull Sapnap away from Dream. “Sap- what are you talking about?”

“What we’re talking about is getting rid of L’Manberg,” Dream said. He leaned slightly back and crossed his arms, smug. It all worked out in the end. And he won with George and Sapnap right next to him.

“The fuck are you going on about?” Tommy blurted out, immediately changing into a defensive stance. Techno took a step closer to Tommy, glancing wildly at the people surrounding the two.

“This is getting repetitive,” George sighed, stepping forward. “Tomorrow, three in the afternoon, L’Manberg is gonna be gone. A crater, nothing left.” George looked to Dream, “we still have some TNT left, right?”

“I always have extra, Georgie,” Dream replied, tilting his head slightly.

“Of course you do. Do you have enough for what I’m thinking about, though?”

Dream frowned, “what you’re thinking about? Is this...?”

“What he said when L’Manberg was first being rebuilt,” Sapnap nodded, nudging Dream. “Remember?”

Dream did remember. Shortly after they decided to wait they had spent a night in George’s house (which was actually very common, Sapnap stayed with George in El Rapids and Dream didn’t like sleeping in the empty Community House). That night had all of them feeling more restless than normal before George pulled them both out of bed and took them to their special cliff. One that overlooked the entire SMP, L’Manberg and all. It was their place, directly opposite to Tommy and Tubbo’s place.

“We should finish what Wilbur started,” George had said randomly, picking at the grass with a harshness that he never had before. “Just burn L’Manberg down to the ground.”

Dream and Sapnap had shifted nervously, feeling George’s anger burn in the air like electricity. Dream and Sapnap being angry, furious even, was not uncommon. They had their tantrums, they had their fits of distress. Dream tended to shout at people and take his anger out in sparring while Sapnap burned anything and everything.

George’s anger was much more venomous, slow creeping and toxic. It strangled anyone who came near. The only people allowed nearby when George was truly vengeful were Dream and Sapnap as they were the only people who knew how to calm him down.

“I thought we had a plan,” Dream responded carefully.

“Fuck the plan!” George had snapped, standing up in a flash and starting to pace. His fire is lit, his rage is burning. “I’m so sick of the stupid country. I may be colourblind but I’m not actually blind. They stare at you like you’re some wild animal ready to kill at a moment’s notice.”

Oh, so George was talking to Dream. Dream had glanced over at Sapnap who shrugged helplessly. They were both at a loss. George was pissed about how his friend was being treated, there was no calming him down at that point.

“Burn it to the ground?” Dream echoed, pulling himself out of the memories and back to the present where everyone was staring at them. Quackity and Karl stood back, looking betrayed.

“I meant what I said that day,” George continued, “I meant everything. Let’s finish what Wilbur started.”

“Wouldn’t that be fun?” added Sapnap.

“Wha- no you can’t!” Tommy protested, stepping forward. “You can’t blow up L’Manberg, what are you talking about?”

“You’re sounding like a broken record, Tommy,” Dream chided. “And yes, we absolutely can. L’Manberg has done nothing but cause problems since it was formed. We’re going to fix that.”

“Have you ever considered that you were the problem, Dream?” Fundy growled, eyes darting nervously between him and George and Sapnap who looked unimpressed at the fox hybrid.

“Oh, we considered that,” Sapnap said loftily. “We just don’t care. This was our home before it was yours.”

“Don’t forget who invited you here, Fundy,” George spat. “It wasn’t Wilbur, it was _Dream_. He allowed everyone to come here, to come to our home. And what did you do? You made him the villain. You made us the villains.”

“Do you want villains in this story, Fundy?” Dream asked innocently. “Do you wanna be the hero? What about you, Tommy? You always wanted to be right, you always wanted to be the star of the show. Do you wanna be a hero, Tommy?” Techno grinned from behind Tommy, as sharp as George. “You wanted villains and now we’re delivering on that. What’s so wrong with that?”

Tommy opened and closed his mouth, trying to formulate a response. Sapnap’s grin turned into a sneer, “that’s what we thought. You didn’t care about anyone, you just wanted to be the hero. You just wanted to be right. It didn’t matter that the Dream Team lost everything because of your little _story_ , all that mattered was that you came out on top.”

“Like you’re much better!” Niki shouted. “Look at yourselves right now! Look who’s in the wrong right now!”

“You pushed our hand,” George glared. “We’re doing whatever it takes to get out home back and that includes destroying L’Manberg.”

“I won’t let you!” Tommy exclaimed.

“Tommy,” Techno finally spoke, a hint of warning in his voice, “think about this.”

“He- they’re going to destroy L’Manberg, Tech! My home!” Tommy turned to Techno.

“L’Manberg’s your home?”

“Yes?” Tommy spluttered, oblivious to how Techno’s face darkened. “Of course it is! I can’t just let Dream destroy it.”

“It’s a _government_ , Tommy.”

“Are you still on about that?” Tommy groaned. “I thought we agreed that Dream was the big enemy here!”

“We also agreed that governments were, too!”

“I’m standing with Tubbo here, Tech.”

Techno stared at the kid, shock clear on his face. That shock was soon replaced by anger, his mouth twisting into a scowl.

“You still have those withers, Techno?” Dream asked.

“You calling in that favour, Dream?” Techno asked back.

“What? Pfft- no. You’d help us blow up L’Manberg anyway.”

Before Techno could reply, Quackity and Karl stepped forward, looking at Sapnap, desperation clear in their eyes.

“What are you doing, Sapnap?” Karl asked softly.

“What I’ve been planning since the start,” Sapnap said, a hit of remorse in his tone. “I was never on your side.”

Dream looked back at Techno, “let’s destroy L’Manberg.”

The Dream Team and Technoblade. L’Manberg didn’t stand a chance.

It was his home before it was theirs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know that this seems very dream apologetic and very tommy bashing but i would like to say that i am not a dream apologist and the Dream Team’s actions in this fic are not good by any means. 
> 
> this fic is told from Dream’s perspective so obviously things are biased in his favour. tommy is just a kid and does not deserve all the hate he is given since he is learning from his mistakes. c!tommy’s growth is something that i feel should be acknowledged.
> 
> anyways thanks for reading :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Technoblade and Doomsday

“I have to admit,” Technoblade said as he rifled through his chests for more fireworks, the Dream Team standing near the door of his house, “this isn’t how I expected the festival to go.”

“Me neither,” Dream replied. “The original plan was for just me and Tommy to get blamed, not George and Sapnap, too.”

“Dude, do you think we’d let you be bashed by the entire server again? You’ve already gone through that several times,” Sapnap pointed out.

George nodded, “we weren’t gonna stand by and watch you get yelled at by _everybody_. Not again.”

A chill crept in from outside, pushing past the fortified walls and through the cracks in the doorways. It was cold in the arctic, colder than winter in L’Manberg or the SMP. None of them had gone to Techno’s house prepared for the weather, so they stood huddled together, watching Technoblade with analyzing eyes. They still didn’t know if they could trust him.

Dream, logically, knew that Technoblade wasn’t one to go back on a deal - which was basically what this whole arrangement was - unless betrayed first, as with Tommy and the Manberg vs. Pogtopia war. He only lashed out when he had been betrayed first.

In a way, Dream was in the same place as Techno and felt the same. He hadn’t been mean, he hadn’t been a tyrant, he hadn’t been anything even remotely evil before Wilbur came along and started crying wolf. All he had wanted was a safe space for family and they turned against him.

For a brief period of time, even George and Sapnap had. That was fixed and they made up pretty easily, but it still weighed heavy in his mind. There was a certain melancholy that came with being betrayed multiple times by people you trust, a dismayed feeling you can’t shake off.

It ate at you when you saw them, it made your bones ache with long-forgotten memories of the good times. Your heart yearned and yearned but you knew that you can’t give in, you can’t lay your heart on a platter for them to step on it once more. That’s what Techno had done and he paid the price for trusting Tommy again.

Dream would never make the same mistake.

He wondered if L’Manberg felt that way about Eret. L’Manberg had been in the wrong, the country should’ve never existed, but betrayal and heartbreak can affect both sides, both good and evil. Maybe that was why Tommy flinched whenever he heard heels clack on the floor, maybe that was why Tubbo was deathly scared of explosives, maybe that was why Niki and Fundy couldn’t trust anyone and were always paranoid. Of course, some of that came with Schlatt, but some of that came from Dream.

And he knows that. He knows that he traumatized children. He knows that he broke families. He knows that he has done terrible, awful things. But George and Sapnap always reminded him that they did terrible, awful things to him first. Dream wasn’t the victim, but he wasn’t the bad guy.

It was all too easy for the entire server to turn on him like a pack of rabid wolves when something went wrong, even if it wasn’t his fault. And that level of distrust could not be fixed. They were all so eager for a scapegoat that they forgot he was a person, too.

For that, they should pay. For their willful ignorance, they shall pay. If Dream isn’t the one to do it, George and Sapnap would. Long ago, Bad and Punz and maybe Sam would’ve been included in that, but they chose their sides. Those sides were against Dream, against the Dream Team.

Techno looked at the three of them with guarded curiosity. Dream doesn’t blame him, it was a common saying on the server to be wary of Dream and his ‘lap dogs’. Psh, yeah right. George and Sapnap were a lot of things, but a lap dog was not one of them.

“We want to help you, Techno,” Dream said unprompted, but also softly. He had been in this situation, he had felt this betrayal, he knew how it felt. Tommy was family to Techno and just when Techno had finally warmed up to the kid, his trust was shattered yet again. “We really do. But we can only help you if you let us.”

“Oh yeah?” Techno asked, tone skeptical. “What do you need me to let you do?”

“Well, it’s not so much let us as in help us. You’ve already agreed to help us destroy L’Manberg, but George and Sap are doubtful.” He gestured to their drawn swords, “as you can probably tell.”

“I can,” Techno replied dryly. Sapnap rolled his eyes and put his sword away while George didn’t move. “Trust me, I want L’Manberg to be gone just as much as you do.”

Trust me. Such a funny phrase to be coming out of The Blade’s mouth. Dream’s mouth twitched from behind his mask but he pushed the surfacing dreamon down. No, not right now. It can get its bloodshed later.

“That means nothing to us.” George tilted his head and gripped his sword tighter. The enchantments shined in the low light of night.

“What do you want, then? A promise to not stab your back if stuff doesn’t go well?” Techno tilted his head right back, mimicking George. A clear and obvious indifference was shown in his posture - he didn’t take them as a threat. Or he knew that Sapnap and Dream would stop George before he could lunge at the piglin hybrid.

“We just want you to be there,” said Sapnap. “Just fight alongside us and all will go well for you. Hopefully. We know you have at least one Totem of Undying, so you should be fine. George and I will be fighting down with you.”

“As will Phil,” Techno added. “I’ll be giving the Totem to him. After all, Technoblade never dies.”

“We’ll test that theory tomorrow at sunset,” George responded neutrally, showing nothing as he walked away. “C’mon guys, we best get going.”

Dream dipped his head to Techno in acknowledgment before exiting with Sapnap, who seemed to be bouncing with excitement.

If it was cold inside, it was even colder outside. George sucked in a sharp breath and slowed down so he could walk next to Sapnap who was a living heater, being part blaze after all. Sapnap seemed all too happy to have them cuddled close to him as they marched home.

Without needing to say anything, they all decided to take the long way home just to avoid anybody who might go through Techno’s nether portal. It was unlikely considering how everybody hated him at this point, but the threat of it was still real.

It was quiet for the first couple of minutes as they climbed over rocks and trudged through the thick snow, their pants and shoes getting slightly wet. Sapnap was the only one not affect and he peered up at the sky like he was watching the weather. It was clear skies, though, the bitter cold being from the snow already on the ground and not any dark clouds in the sky.

“Do you think we can trust him?” George asked, ever careful when it came to their safety. Dream already knew he’d be watching Techno and Phil’s every move just in case one of them changed their mind.

Dream shivered and leaned closer to Sapnap before shrugging, “I think so. Techno’s been betrayed twice now by the same person, he’s not likely to turn on us. I don’t know about Phil.”

“Please, I’m not worried about Phil,” Sapnap cut in. “Wherever Technoblade goes, Phil goes. Not to mention that Ghostbur is on better terms with Techno than Tommy, it’s obvious which side he’s sticking on. He didn’t even think about rescuing Tommy from exile.”

“We still ought to be careful,” George argued. “I don’t trust them as far as I can throw them.”

“George, you can’t throw for shit.”

George sniffed, “I know that.”

Dream wheezed. Yeah, he didn’t have much to worry about from them. They’d protect him with their lives. They shouldn’t betray him.

* * *

The obsidian grid in the sky had taken long to build and even longer to mine, but from some unknowing help from Puffy (he feels guilty about that, he never wanted to hurt her) and some knowing help from Sapnap, the materials were gathered and the grid built. The redstone was much easier in comparison and so was the TNT. He couldn’t fathom why people still left the explosives out in the open for anyone to take given the history of the server.

Although, he thought bitterly, much of that history came from him. It was the most dangerous thing he could get his hands on at a moment’s notice. Both effective and destructive, the perfect match for him.

Techno and Phil were at the bottom, a herd of dogs surrounding them both, while George and Sapnap sat on the edge of the grid, whispering to each other. Dream was still going around and putting TNT into the droppers so when the lever was flicked, hell rained upon the unsuspecting country.

The houses sat empty, the festival decorations fluttering the breeze, some of the games already collapsed. It looked like a ghost town.

“Dream, you almost done?” Sapnap called. “Because they figured out we’re starting early!”

Sure enough, sounds of people shouting from down below rose to his position and he instinctively turned around to see people in netherite armour fighting with Techno and Phil. They couldn’t get past the dogs that tore at them, though. Dream smiled to himself and continued on calmly even as nerves made his hands shake.

He wasn’t nervous, per se, but more excited. Finally, L’Manberg would be gone. The poison would be gone. He could live in peace once more and they could rebuild the Community House bigger and better. People would come to realize that they were in the wrong and the Dream Team was in the right. It was almost too perfect. Almost.

Because he knew that after this he would never be forgiven if they somehow managed to forgive him for blowing up the Community House. Even from his position, he could hear people shouting at George and Sapnap to stop, to stop helping Dream because Dream was manipulating them.

People would always assume he was the bad guy, even though Sapnap and George were fighting as fiercely as Techno, even though they were spitting vile words at the people trying to climb up, even though they were helping the withers. Nothing could stop their wrath. No reasoning would make sense to them, not when it came to people slandering Dream. They were loyal to a fault.

So, he kept flicking levers as more and more withers spawned, dropping TNT on the houses and homes and on the platforms. It was chaos behind him, dogs yipping and yelping, people screaming in rage and fury, sounds of netherite clashing with netherite, a flurry of movement he couldn’t keep up with an outsider’s perspective. It didn’t help the numerous amounts of explosives blowing up added to the cacophony.

As he reached down to pull another lever, a sword nearly took off his head. He naturally dropped and rolled away, years of fighting giving him fast instincts. His axe, Nightmare, was taken out and swung at the opponent.

The opponent turned out to be Punz who had a kind of desperation in his eyes which Dream had never seen before. He met Dream’s axe with his own sword and the battle had begun.

For every swing Punz threw his way, panic and anger making his moves sloppy but determination makes those swings deadly, Dream took a deliberate step back towards the next lever.

“Stop this, Dream,” Punz hissed, panting heavily when Dream took another step back, pretending to be disoriented. “Stop, please. There’s- there’s still a chance. You can redeem yourself.”

Dream laughed humourlessly, “we both know that’s not true.” He then dived and slammed his hand against the next lever. Immediately, explosions rang in his ears and both of them jerked from the noise.

Before Punz could swing again, Sapnap appeared in front of them via ender pearl and grabbed the mercenary, starting a violent wrestling match between the two. As much as Dream would’ve loved to help, a glance from Sapnap told him all he needed to know. Continue pushing the levers, continue with the TNT.

Feeling breathless, Dream nodded at his friend and ran to the next lever, picking up the pace, all too aware of how Sapnap was fighting for his life meters away.

The sounds of the battle steadily grew quieter and Dream couldn’t bring himself to look over to see if they were losing. He knew that they were winning, but the idea of George on the ground bleeding out because Sapnap was too busy saving him was terrifying. They did this to save their lives, not to lose one.

The sounds of dogs disappeared entirely after Punz attacked him, but the withers were still going strong. He heard less of people fighting each other and more of people fighting the withers. In the corner of his eye, he could see Techno and Phil fighting a wither as well, probably because it attacked them. The L’Manberg people stood on the edge of their fallen empire, not moving.

A sick sense of joy filled him as he flicked the final lever and looked over to see them all standing there, helplessness in their expressions. They know knew what it felt like to constantly lose your home over and over again, unable to do anything but watch.

A tap on his shoulder had him whipped around with his axe out, only to find Sapnap and George standing there.

“We’ve gotta go before they snap out of their shock,” George urged, hauling him up by the arm before pausing. “Are you shaking?”

“It’s exciting,” he answered even though he knew that wasn’t the truth.

“Let’s get somewhere safe where you can relax,” Sapnap said soothingly. “I think you’re on an adrenaline rush right now or something.”

“Odd because he wasn’t even fighting.”

“Hush, Gogy.”

The three of them, the Dream Team, carefully made their way down from the grid and slipped out of sight as they heard an argument spark between Tommy and Techno, the land between them ravaged and bare. Dream nearly tripped over his own feet as they passed a poorly hidden Ranboo, the kid choosing the right side of history after all.

“Well, that’s over with,” Sapnap commented as they slowed to a stop under some trees. How long had they been walking? Dream swore they were just next to L’Manberg still but he blinked and now he was surrounded by trees. And also crying. That was new.

“Dream?” George asked, reaching over and wiping away the tears. “Are you okay?”

“What are we gonna do now?” he asked back, sitting down and leaning against one of the trees. “We can’t go back. We can’t go back home.”

It’s like the weight of his actions was crashing onto him all at once. They couldn’t go back home, not anymore, not after what they had done. They would be hunted down and-

And what? Imprisoned? Most likely. Sam’s prison was fully built and the creeper hybrid no longer liked them, siding against them and with Tommy. Plus, there was the whole egg situation with Bad and Ant that somehow would be pinned on them. They would either be killed or shoved into an obsidian box and he would never let either of those things happen to George or Sapnap.

“That’s okay,” Sapnap said, sitting next to him. “That’s okay I think.”

“We just fought an entire battle for our home, Sap,” George frowned but still sat down. “I don’t think that’s okay.”

“Haven’t you heard the phrase ‘home is where the heart is’? I wasn’t fighting for the SMP or the Community House, I was fighting for you guys,” Sapnap smiled. “You guys are my home.”

“That’s so stupid,” said Dream through his tears, laughing anyway. “You’re so stupid.”

“We’ll make a new kingdom and we’ll rule over everything in sight. It’ll just be the three of us like always,” Sapnap continued, laying down so his body was stretched over Dream and George’s laps. “We can make it in a mushroom field for George. And Dream, you can be our ruler.”

“I don’t wanna be a ruler again,” Dream admitted.

“Then I can be king again,” George said. “I love your idea, Snapmap.”

“I take everything back, I hate both of you,” Sapnap deadpanned as Dream and George laughed.

”We can make the name exotic,” suggested George. “Not like L’Manberg or Dream SMP, ‘cause those were lame.”

“We can call it Kinoko or something,” Dream wheezed. “Like- like Kinoko Kingdom!”

“And we’ll stay away from the SMP in our own little land! Our own little mushroom land. We’ll build a giant Community House and you’re not allowed to chop down the mushrooms,” George added. The three of them brightened as they brainstormed for their new land. Their new home. Even though their real home was with each other.

They wouldn’t have to worry about dreamons or L’Manberg or Tommy or the SMP anymore. It would just be the three of them like it had always been. The Dream Team.

Dream had his friends and that was all he needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ITS OVER!!!!! ITS FINALLY OVER!!!! OH AM I SO GLAD

**Author's Note:**

> this,,,,,this was only supposed to be like 1,500 words,,,,,,


End file.
